Day 7. Out for lunch. Pasta dinner.

For breakfast today, I tried the oven cooked bacon thing. Loving the multi-tasking feature of this cooking method! I got dressed and woke the kids up while it cooked. Man, were the boys happy to wake up to the smell of bacon! I used up the last of the mediocre bread for toast.

A breakfast staple around here used to be those yogurt tubes. The organic ones, but I was never happy with how much sugar is in those darn things! I’ve been trying to figure out how to get yogurt back into their diets in a healthier format. I bought 2 large cartons on sale at Meijer thinking the boys would love smoothies. Turns out, they do not love smoothies. So I have two big containers of yogurt taking up room in my fridge.

Ah ha moment:

a couple of teaspoons of blackberry (or other flavor) jam (sweetened only with fruit juice)

stir it all up into pretty purple swirls and serve in tiny bowls with little spoons

They loved it and asked for it again for an after school snack.

Lunch was a fun outing with the 5 y.o. and Bill. The three of us hit the Downtown Deli. They have an all-organic salad bar and use organic fruits and vegetables in their salads, soups, sandwiches, and daily baked specials. Follow them on Facebook to see their daily offerings. We shared a bowl of vegetarian chili (with raisins and cashews — which may sound a bit odd, but tasted delish) and a side of their quinao/spinach salad. 5 y.o. had a turkey sandwich with butter and organic lettuces.

Dinner: classic pasta dinner! Grandma’s “gravy” with penne. I used whole wheat pasta for the first time ever (Meijer Organics). The boys loved it and told me I didn’t make enough (I had only made half a box because I was certain they wouldn’t like it) . A healthier/organic version of a “Casa” salad (you Fort Waynians know what I’m talkin’ ’bout):

torn red leaf lettuce and baby spinach

some roughly chopped fresh Italian parsley

small dice red bell pepper

sliced green onion

couple of handfuls of grated provolone (or swiss) cheese

couple of handfuls of parmesan cheese

salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic powder, oregano to taste

drizzle with olive oil, red wine vinegar and a splash of balsamic

toss

And a new bread recipe. I held my breath as I handed the 9 y.o. a warm piece spread with melting butter.

“Hmmm. Pretty good.” Another bite. A thoughtful stare into the distance. “I like it!”